Introduction
The connective tissue, or fascia, is a complex three-dimensional fibrous web.
It acts like a sweater or body stocking that suspends, surrounds, supports and
separates every muscle, bone, organ, nerve and blood vessel down to the cellular
level. This fascial net is 16% of a person’s body weight and stores 23%
of the body’s total water content.

The fascia has tremendous tensile strength gives support, stability, structure
and organization to the body, while allowing flexibility, plasticity, mobility
and cohesion of anatomical structures.

It helps the body to handle both internal
and external mechanical stresses.

A dynamic balance exists in this extensive,
complex elastic body system. If all the organs, muscles, vessels and bones
of the body were removed with the fascia left intact, the network of empty
fascial
partitions would maintain our physical shape.

This three-dimensional body stocking divides the body’s tissues and
organs into different compartments, unifies them into complex systems and
into a single integrated organism. The fascia transforms the pulls of gravity
and muscular contractions into the controlled and harmonious movement of
all
our body parts. It acts to stabilize and maintain upright posture through
the lumbodorsal fascia, the iliotibial band, the gluteal fascia, and superiorly
through the thoracic and cervical fascia.

Fascial Layers
The fascia consists of three layers: the superficial fascia, the deep fascia
and the dura mater. The superficial fascia is attached directly beneath the
skin and is loosely knit, fibrous tissue connected to muscles and joints.
This fascial layer is like a body stocking that allows movement of the skin
in many directions over the deeper structures allowing enough space for the
accumulation of fluid. It can stretch in any direction and adjust quickly
to all kinds of strains.

The deep fascia is more dense, tough and tight as it partitions the body.
It covers and separates muscles, surrounds, separates and protects internal
visceral organs and contributes greatly to the shape and function of the
body.
The deep fascia is very strong yet flexible. When placed under unusual strains
or tensions, it can become quite constrained, acting like a straightjacket
to the structures it holds. Scarring and adhesions from surgery, trauma,
infection
or inflammation can significantly increase this “straightjacket” effect,
decreasing organ function and/or causing pain.

The deepest fascial layer, the dura mater, surrounds and protects the central
nervous system (the brain and spinal cord). The dura is divided into cranial
and spinous parts. The spinal dura is a hollow cylinder that stretches from
the cranial base of the occiput to the sacrum. It connects with the cranial
dura and has strong attachments to the cranial vault, around the foramen magnum,
the posterior bodies of C-2 and C-3 and the vertebral foramen. Inferiorly,
the dura attaches to the anterior portion of the canal of S-2 at the sacrum,
and it blends with the periostium of the coccyx.

Within the skull, the dura mater lines the cranial cavity and forms a support
for the brain. The cranial dura mater surrounds the brain and neighboring
structures, including the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus, whose functions
are vital in order for female reproduction to occur. There are three intracranial
membranes of the dura mater: the vertically oriented falx cerebri and the
falx cerebelli, and the horizontal tentorium cerebelli. Their primary role
is to stabilize the brain inside the cranium during direct or indirect trauma.

Self exploration: Experiencing Connective
Tissue
Here is an experiment to let you experience the continuity and importance
of connective tissue in Rolfing.

Sit upright in a chair which has a relatively solid hard bottom. Use the
thumb and forefinger of one hand to gently grasp the bridge area of your
nose. Next
wiggle the toes of both foot (keeping all other areas of your body motionless)
and notice if you can feel this wiggle with your fingers on your nose. If
you can’t, try varying the pressure of your grip. You can also try
this experiment by placing the flat of the hand on top of your head instead
of
on the nose.

This experiment shows how the connective tissue connects us. It should be
clear that if any area of connective tissue becomes short or hard, it will
cause compensations throughout the body. Rolfing® Structural
Integration re-balances this web of connective tissue.